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Vinegar Girl
Vinegar Girl
Nov 12, 2024 3:33 PM

Author:Anne Tyler,Kirsten Potter

Vinegar Girl

‘You can’t get around Kate Battista as easily as all that’

Kate Battista is feeling stuck. How did she end up running house and home for her eccentric scientist father and uppity, pretty younger sister Bunny? Plus, she’s always in trouble at work – her pre-school charges adore her, but the adults don’t always appreciate her unusual opinions and forthright manner.

Dr Battista has other problems. After years out in the academic wilderness, he is on the verge of a breakthrough. His research could help millions. There’s only one problem: his brilliant young lab assistant, Pyotr, is about to be deported. And without Pyotr…

When Dr Battista cooks up an outrageous plan that will enable Pyotr to stay in the country, he’s relying – as usual – on Kate to help him. Kate is furious: this time he’s really asking too much. But will she be able to resist the two men’s touchingly ludicrous campaign to win her round?

Anne Tyler’s retelling of The Taming of the Shrew asks whether a thoroughly modern, independent woman like Kate would ever sacrifice herself for a man. The answer is as individual, off-beat and funny as Kate herself.

'I loved Kate and Pyotr and the way they discover the oversized, tender, irreverent relationship that fits them... It is joyful' Rachel Joyce

‘Read her books and she can actually change your view, change how you see the world’ Judy Finigan, Mail on Sunday

‘Tyler writes with an apparent effortlessness which conceals great art’ Helen Dunmore, Stylist

‘Tyler’s sentences are wholly hers, instantly recognisable and impossible to duplicate’ Hanya Yanigihara, Observer

‘A new novel from Tyler is always a treat’ Daily Mail

Reviews

It's knockabout comedy at its best, genuinely laugh-out-loud funny and, indeed, may be her funniest book to date

—— John Harding , Daily Mail

The worst wedding in history ... vintage Anne Tyler

—— Ann Treneman , The Times

It's every subtle shade of funny, heart-breaking and ultimately life-affirming

—— Grazia

Funny, thought-provoking, essential

—— The Sunday Telegraph (Stella)

Delightful, ingenious and convincing… Anyone who values good writing and the intelligent observation and depiction of how people feel, think and speak will enjoy it too

—— Allan Massie , Scotsman

There is much of Tyler's trademark wit and sharp observation here. She shifts effortlessly from humour to pathos and creates emotion without any hint of sentimentality ... Funny and poignant

—— Charlotte Heathcote , Sunday Express

Full of Tyler's signature virtues -- domestic details, familial conflict, emotional ambivalence, a sharp sense of place… Novels such as Anne Tyler’s, which are so precise and current, are like photographs or digital clock faces that tell us where we are and where we are coming from at the same time. Vinegar Girl is an earthy reflection of this fleeting moment, both lively and thoughtful

—— Jane Smiley , New York Times Book Review

Tyler’s signature skill as a novelist is portraying her characters and her setting with such precise and amusing detail … that pretty soon the reader is drawn in, willy-nilly. We know where this is heading, yet she does a great job putting up the roadblocks and incorporating the surprising curves… Novels such as Anne Tyler’s, which are so precise and current, are like photographs or digital clock faces that tell us where we are and where we are coming from at the same time. ‘Vinegar Girl’ is an earthy reflection of this fleeting moment, both lively and thoughtful.

—— Jane Smiley , New York Times Book Review

Tyler's deepest purpose is to challenge the premisses of Shakspeare's comedy... Her gentle, funny novel insists that it is possible, in spite of our customarily blind perversities, to find unexpected ways of breaking free from self-destruction

—— Dinah Birch , Times Literary Supplement

This sparky, intelligent spin on Shakespeare's controversial classic demolishes the old saw that you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar

—— Elizabeth Lowry , The Guardian

Family drama meets rom-com in a modern version of The Taming of the Shrew. Pushy dad plus entitled little sister, cute but clueless suitor, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author equals must-read

—— Cosmopolitan

The terrifically talented author is the latest to tackle Shakespeare for the Hogarth series ... In her modern take on The Taming of the Shrew, Kate is a university drop-out whose scientist dad is pushing her to marry his lab assistant so he can stay in the country. But will this bright, independent woman sacrifice herself? Like the original, the heroine is pleasingly acerbic and her happy ending is anything but conventional

—— Good Housekeeping

Fabulous... Tyler has fun exploring how far a modern woman would go for the sake of daughterly duty

—— Saga Magazine

A reflective, engaging twist on Shakespeare’s unfashionable play

—— Vanessa Berridge , Daily Express

[A] screwball comedy of manners that actually channels Jane Austen more than Shakespeare. It's clear that [Tyler] had fun with Vinegar Girl, and readers will too… A fizzy cocktail of a romantic comedy, far more sweet than acidic, about finding a mate who appreciates you for your idiosyncratic, principled self – no taming necessary

—— NPR.org

Beautiful, off-beat love story…I became enraptured by their seemingly little lives. It’s every subtle shade of funny, heart-breaking and ultimately life-affirming… Gentle, heart-warming tale

—— Lisa Howard, Emily Phillips, Jenny Croall , Grazia

Vinegar Girl is an absorbing read from the very first page, where the characters immediately come to life

—— Daisy Watt , I

Hilarious contemporary take on the play.

—— Frankie McCoy , Evening Standard

Enjoy this wry, wise, hilarious take on the relations between men and women, and Tyler’s loving feminism untinged with bitterness

—— Jane O’Grady , The Oldie

Fun, accomplished, readable, enjoyable

—— Viv Groskop , The Guardian

A fascinating take on humanity, with plenty of amusing, unexpected twists in the tale that only a brilliant writer such as Anne Tyler can achieve

—— Candis

We love Anne Tyler and this book is as brilliant as you’d expect. Perfect for a long journey – you won’t look up from it.

—— A Little Bird

Tyler is uniquely capable of handling a rebarbative character like Kate with generosity and imagination ... she consistently finds good in unpromising people and is a sharp and very funny observer of day-to-day life. [...] A joy

—— Elspeth Barker , Literary Review

Gripping. This is typical Tyler territory. It is a domestic drama, with eccentric characters, which is deeper than it first appears. I loved it

—— Ann Smout , Nudge

Takes Shakespeare’s comedy…into contemporary life with compelling effect.

—— Country & Town House

An enjoyable read and it’s always a pleasure to read her writing.

—— Woman's Way

A sweet love story… The conversations are the best bits.

—— Claire Harman , Evening Standard

Excellent

—— Glamour

Tyler’s talents are lavish, and the novel has plenty of incidental pleasures.

—— James Walton , Daily Telegraph

Everyone from Margaret Atwood to Howard Jacobson is reimagining Shakespeare in fiction this year. Tyler’s take on The Taming of the Shrew looks to be the highlight

—— Andrew Holgate , Sunday Times

A joy to experience.

—— Elspeth Barker , Literary Review

A new Anne Tyler book is always a treat. The terrifically talented author is the latest to tackle Shakespeare…and our favourite so far.

—— Good Housekeeping

I loved Kate and Pyotr and the way they discover the oversized, tender, irreverent relationship that fits them... It is joyful

—— Rachel Joyce

With her sharp eye for family dynamics and telling domestic detail, Pultizer winning Tyler is the perfect match for The Taming of the Shrew… With Tyler’s typical warmth and humour, and her knack for creating endearingly quirky characters, the result is believable, moving and entertaining.

—— Lady

The funniest book she has written, much funnier than Shakespeare

—— Spectator, Book of the Year

A sprightly reprise of [The Taming of the Shrew].

—— Eithne Farry , Simple Things, Book of the Year

Entertaining and Unpredictable.

—— Irish Mail on Sunday, Book of the Year

A sweetly rendered, thoroughly modern love story.

—— Guardian, Book of the Year

Acutely observed and warmly entertaining.

—— William Leith , Evening Standard

Warmly entertaining

—— i

A bittersweet comedy with some stinging contemporary resonance… Acutely observed and quirkily humorous… light but intelligent.

—— Juanita Coulson , Lady

With Tyler’s typical warmth and humour, and her knack for creating endearingly quirky characters, the result is believable, moving and entertaining.

—— The Lady

This is a stand-out debut from a hugely accomplished 26-year-old author. It’s beautifully written, completely gripping and perfectly catches a girl on the cusp of adulthood.

—— Bookseller

Beautiful, heady language and under-the-skin storytelling.

—— Kerry Fowler , Sainsbury's Magazine

A good shot at becoming the must-read novel of the summer.

—— Alexandra Allter , Miami Herald

Illuminates the darker side of infatuation under the glare of the Californian sun.

—— Cathy Rentzenbrink , Stylist

Vivid, exacting portrait of a vulnerable young girl coming of age.

—— Fanny Blake , Woman & Home

Gripping read.

—— Good Housekeeping

The strength of The Girls lies in Cline’s ability to evoke both the textures and atmosphere of those painful in-between times… [Cline] is a powerful interpreter of ambiguous emotional vectors, and the catastrophic directions in which they can lead.

—— Alex Clark , Observer

Cline’s real achievement is not so much the dread-filled journey to the book’s harrowing climax, however, but her vividly drawn central character and how she stumbles from invisible, impressionable bystander to unwitting accomplice… Cline is excellent at capturing the complex negotiations and compromises of girlhood… The Girls is a horror story for our times, a gripping and richly poetic account… Its ambition and reach are immense.

—— Gary Kaill , Skinny

Vividly reimagines 1960s California… Cline’s portrait of teenage girl-dom is note perfect.

—— Hannah Shaddock , Radio Times

Dubbed fiction’s most exciting new voice… This page-turner is a powerful insight into the culture of gang mentality… The read of the summer.

—— Irish Tatler

Notable for its finely wrought prose, its piercing insight into the teen mind and the gorgeous way it relates terrible things. Read it before the movie is cast…and enjoy Evie for the wonderfully written creation she is’

—— I

Gets off to a quietly thrilling start… Her sentences are often strong and lovely, indicative of voice rather than merely of style.

—— Dwight Garner , New York Times

Mesmerising novel… Impressive book’

—— Charlotte Heathcote , Daily Express

First the heady language and sensuous descriptions will hook you, then the extraordinary story of free love, intoxication and violence… Remarkable debut… The Girls brims with intrigue… It’s the intimacy and intricacy of Cline’s prose and her sharp sense of humanity that makes the book shimmer with life… The Girls is a spectacular story.

—— Culture Whisper

Sun-scorched coming of age chiller… Brutally convincing.

—— Anthony Cummins , Metro

If you’re only going to pack one book next to your swimming trunks this year, this is the one to go for… [Emma Cline] Has hit a home run with her first swing.

—— Joshua Burt , Independent

It’s disturbing…but you keep reading.

—— Stellar

Wonderfully readable, and acutely observed, this is that rare thing: a beach novel of real substance.

—— Dan Brotzel , UK Press Syndication

The big holiday read of summer. Find a sunlounger and get started.

—— Sunday Times

Subtly provoking novel… The strength of The Girls lies in Cline’s ability to evoke both the textures and atmosphere of those painful in-between times; the desperate rush to fill an emotional vacuum… Cline has a talent for capturing that uncanniness, the fault lines in our sense of our stability… she is a powerful interpreter of ambiguous emotional vectors, and the catastrophic directions in which they can lead.

—— Alex Clark , Guardian

Thrilling… Gritty, shocking and ever so readable; more than living up to the hype that greeted its initial sale.

—— Running in Heels

Wonderfully readable, finely written and acutely observed.

—— Dan Brotzel , Irish News

One of the pleasures…is its immediacy… The book is a trancelike accumulation of intense adolescent feelings and myopic impressions… The setting is rendered both vividly and delicately… [A] Slender, absorbing book.

—— Lidija Haas , Daily Telegraph

If you're only going to pack one book this year, make it this one.

—— I

This chilling story of fractured innocence is beautifully written in wonderfully descriptive, sometimes dream-like prose. A stunningly powerful, spellbinding cautionary tale.

—— Deirdre O''Brien , Sunday Mirror

Both in person and on the page Cline is wise beyond her years. I read the book with a biro underlining phrases that I wish I could write. I am no longer jealous, I am just in awe.

—— Marlanne Power , Irish Independent

'I really enjoyed it... A compelling coming-of-age story... Cline focuses not on the murders themselves, but on the landscape of adolescence, accurately portraying the boredom and lassitude, the yearning and insecurities of that awkward transitional stage... Stunningly written, in fresh, youthful prose, expect to see The Girls on deckchairs, beach towels and best-seller lists over the coming months

—— Justine Carbery , Irish Independent

Unnervingly perceptive … Part murderous thriller, part meditation on the vulnerability of teenage girls, it’s an exquisite, insightful and chilling read.

—— Alexandra Heminsley , Pool

Unexpected and brilliant debut novel.

—— Yaa Gyasi , I-D Vice

An intense evocation of adolescence…absorbing debut novel.

—— Lidija Haas , Telegraph

As gripping as a thriller, it’s a powerful exploration of hero worship of all kinds, and the shapes into which girls force themselves as they attempt to grow up.

—— Anna Carey , Irish Times

This year's Miniaturist

—— Sam Baker , Pool

A fantastic writer, her intelligence is extraordinary

—— Linda Grant , Radio 4

Gripping novel… Cline’s debut is a real page-turner.

—— Olivia-Anne Cleary , Reveal

It is the language which elevates the novel to brilliance… Cline takes ordinary words and fits them together in patterns that shouldn’t work but…bring[s] a vibrancy to her prose that captivates.

—— Mature Times

Not the cheeriest summer read of the year, but it is one of the most powerful… Cline masterfully uses the sultriness of the season to explore the complex negotiations of girlhood.

—— Skinny

Highly charged literary debut… Visceral, seductive and delicately seething, Cline articulates the labyrinth anxieties of adolescence and the importance of belonging with a personal, finely tuned prose and a restrained, drip-feed pace that belies her age.

—— Natalie Rigg , Another

A dark, erotically charged story of seduction, coercion and abuse emerges that has deliberate echoes of the Manson Family massacres in 1969… Cline brilliantly conveys the predatory cultural and sexual forces to which teenage girls are so often vulnerable. And her prose is completely to die for.

—— Metro

The Girls stands apart from other treatments of Manson.

—— Scotland on Sunday

Gripping, and highly impressive.

—— Stephanie Cross , Lady

Sumptuous prose… Believe the hype: she’s one to watch.

—— The Big Issue

The narrative is layered and complex, as even the young Evie seems to be an astute observer of human nature, who does not gloss over the less glamorous details, even in those she loves and admires. Throughout the novel, the fragility of the relationships are laid bare… [An] Immersive experience, both for the reader, and a narrator looking to reclaim some of her most vivid memories.

—— Conor O'Donovan , Headstuff

A gripping read.

—— Joannae Finney , Good Housekeeping

Cline brilliantly captures the precise, sultry prose the vulnerable and highly-charged sensibility of adolescence in a hotly-tipped debut inspired by the Manson Family massacre that – for once – justifies the hype.

—— Claire Allfree , Daily Mail

Eloquent, coming-of-age debut… I was quite sure it could never live up to the hype. How wrong I was… Well-crafted prose… This is a perceptive, insightful and beautifully written book on the often harsh realities of the formative teenage years and a telling truth of what some will do to belong and feel loved. It is a must-read.

—— Jennifer McShane , Image

It unsettles and disturbs in unpredictable ways. Above all, Cline is excellent on the female coffee table book adolescent psyche and the ways in which girlhood is so often an act performed for the opposite sex… The end result is gripping, and highly impressive.

—— Stephanie Cross , Lady

An intense evocation of adolescence…set to be the breakout book of summer. Every page throbs with the threat of violence.

—— Daily Telegraph

The writing is lush and surprising.

—— Marisa Meltzer , Vogue

[It is] shockingly assured for a first novel.

—— Mark Haddon , Guardian

Already I’m hooked… The writing style…is totally engaging – shrewd and observant but with a certain softness. I’ll report back when I’ve finished, but I think this will be a great summer read.

—— Ruth Crilly , A Model Recommends

The Girls is compulsively readable… A strikingly accomplished debut. Evie’s voice shimmers with vivid metaphorical language… There are some truly breathtaking passages — lush and lapidary and full of startling imagery… A fierce challenge to our received notion of the 1960s as an era of peace signs, protest marches and free love, and [this] adds a note of profundity to this highly impressive first novel.

—— Alex Preston , Financial Times

Emma Cline's The Girls is so brilliant.

—— Hadley Freeman , Guardian Weekly

A compelling novel… [A] nuanced and deeply drawn character study of teenage ennui and anger… In luminous prose, the novel maps Evie’s obsessive psyche… A compelling and startling new work of fiction. Ms. Cline brilliantly shows how far adolescent loneliness can push a girl in her desire to be loved.

—— The Economist

[A] steamy hit.

—— Metro

[It] is so brilliant… The only thing more perfect about this book than Cline’s woozily dreamy prose is her timing.

—— Hadley Freeman , Guardian

The Summer read for you... Cline’s gorgeous novel is both stunning and shocking. We dare you not to devour in one sitting

—— Amie-Jo Locke , In-Style

[A] literary page-turner.

—— Claire Coughlan , Irish Independent

A startlingly intense, brilliant and brooding debut novel….written with luminous foreboding lyricism.

—— Simon Sebag Montefiore , Evening Standard, Book of the Year

[It is] intelligent and thoughtful.

—— Mumsnet

Cline’s portrayal of the fragile teen years and the power they have in shaping the woman you become will resonate with everyone.

—— Sarah Holmes , Woman's Weekly

Cline’s language…is splendid at conjuring pictures.

—— Kathy Watson , Tablet

Cline - from California, where the novel is set, has crafted a distinct poetic timbre that devises similes galore to augment the imagery and the protagonist’s insight… Inspired, I look forward to reading more from this highly talented author. I will indeed re-Cline.

—— Kettle

Cline’s structure…allows her to apply her acute observations about girlhood to today’s world.

—— Isobel Thompson , Times Literary Supplement

The summer’s standout debut… A tense, febrile imagining… The Girls is a subtle, restrained and beautifully textured telling of one of pop culture history’s most luridly hideous moments, with a heightened, dreamlike quality that tips irrevocably into nightmare.

—— Writing Magazine

I read this in a single sitting a few months back, and it remains my favourite read of 2016. The writing is so beautiful; the sentences perfectly formed, cumulated in a plot that slowly draws you in… Eloquent, perceptive and insightful, you won’t be able to put this one down.

—— Image

This book was sublime. I read it as the last of the sunshine faded into autumn and I felt transported into 1969 California.

—— Max and Mummy

[A] clever debut novel… Gripping.

—— Jan Moir , Daily Mail, Book of the Year

Undeniably the dazzling fiction debut of the year, this brilliant American novel is a vivid evocation of California in 1969… It is the author’s luminous prose style that excels. Exhilarating.

—— Tatler, Book of the Year

A spellbinding, supremely evocative coming-of-age story

—— Deborah Ross , The Times, Book of the Year

[A] compulsively readable debut [which] is a vivid examination of adolescence.

—— Rebecca Rose , Financial Times, Book of the Year

A fluent, engrossing debut novel.

—— A Little Bird, Book of the Year

The Californian setting is intoxicating, as laced with sunlight as filth, and its insight into the teenage girl’s mind is extraordinary.

—— Alexandra Heminsley , Pool, Book of the Year

A book of glistening prose.

—— RTE Guide, Book of the Year

Believe the hype; it is simply brilliant.

—— Jennifer McShane , Image Magazine, Book of the Year

A shimmering tale of adolescence and sexual awakening written in prose that aptly feels almost hallucinatory

—— Claire Allfree , Metro, Book of the Year

A haunting and gripping read.

—— Irish Country Magazine, Book of the Year

Highly recommended if you’re in need of a good read.

—— Jennifer Selway , Daily Express

Both shocking and subtle, its real power lies in the exploration of girlhood itself.

—— Kate Hamer , Big Issue

Brilliantly done… The year is 1969. Evie notices a group of scavenging girls – they belong to a nearby cult. And this cult is horrific. Think of the Manson family… A seriously excellent debut novel.

—— William Leith , Evening Standard

As Lena Dunham says, it'll both break your heart and blow your mind.

—— Hannah Dunn , Red Online

Through the story of the Manson family and their brutal crimes, Cline explores the intensity and loneliness of female adolescence with an impressive mastery of language.

—— Alexander Newson , Upcoming

A superb, chilling novel of doom-laden adolescence.

—— Simon Sebag , Week

A thrilling, savage exploration of how a teenager gets sucked into a cult led by a Charles Manson figure.

—— Allison Pearson , Sunday Telegraph

The writing is so beautiful; the sentences perfectly formed, cumulated in a plot that slowly draws you in… Eloquent, perceptive and insightful, you won’t be able to put this one down.

—— Jennifer McShane , Image

Few books have such a dramatic effect on me but Emma Cline’s stirring debut The Girls is one I’ve never managed to get out of my head… This is a perceptive, insightful and beautifully written book on the often harsh realities of the formative teenage years and a telling truth of what some will do to belong and feel loved. It is a must-read and one that is more than worth sitting down with a second or third time.

—— Jennifer McShane , Image

The novel has a number of things going for it, from Cline's gorgeous prose to her knack for plot and timing, to her way of presenting Evie's electric, often jolting moments of self-recognition. But the aspect of The Girls that captivated me the most was how Cline channels that particular period in a girl's life when she is consumed with the need to be seen, to be known—by her mother, by slightly older girls, and most often, by men.

—— Jennifer Schaffer , Vice

Thanks to Cline’s lyrical prose, which is at once as clear as the Californian skies of the novel’s setting and as evocative as a sunshine drenched Polaroid picture, The Girls perfectly captures the twilight years of the hippie era, where the rot of its seedy drug-fuelled underbelly shattered the dream of peace and love and culminated in a gruesome massacre that shocked the world.

—— Dean Muscat , Nudge

The Girls exemplifies the uncomfortably thin line between healthy and unhealthy relationships

—— Emily Watkins , i
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